Cities Where People Take the Longest Lunch Breaks
While you speed-eat a quinoa bowl over your keyboard while playing sudoku, a few of your fellow Americans are kicking back for leisurely lunches that run so long it would make Don Draper blush.
The lunch hour as we once knew it, is dead. According to our data, the average American worker’s lunchtime clocks in at 33 minutes, and just 18% take an hour or more for lunch. So that leaves little to blush about here.
Because some race through lunch while others saunter, we recently asked workers in 40 major cities about their lunch break habits, to determine where people take the longest and shortest lunches.
Our analysis also reveals in which industries workers take the longest and shortest lunches. Government workers take the longest lunches, and in a cold twist of irony, food service workers take the shortest lunches.
Cities Where People Take the Longest Lunch Breaks
It’s been hours since you ate breakfast, if you ate anything at all before clocking in at work. And it feels like the end of the workday is far from your reach. If one more person asks you to do something, you might snap. All of this is a sign that you need to take a lunch break.
Whether you simply open a lunch box at your desk or drive down the road to a drive-thru, taking a few minutes for yourself can be important for your mental health and overall wellbeing. Aside from needing the nutrients our food gives us, lunch breaks offer employees an opportunity to step away from the grind for a few minutes and take time for ourselves.
We found that the average American takes about 33 minutes for lunch each day. In addition to the overall time, we also analyzed lengths of lunch breaks in various cities across the country and found that southern cities lead the charge for long lunch breaks.
Up first with an average of 38.33 minutes are Dallas, TX, residents. Overall, however, nearly 1 in 3 Dallas residents report they usually take an hour or longer for their break. For our second-place city, we travel about three hours south to Houston, TX, where residents take about 37.55 minutes each day for their lunch break on average.
We remain in the South for third place as we visit the capital of Georgia where the average Atlanta worker takes a 36.98-minute lunch break each day. In addition to having one of the longest lunch breaks, Atlanta, GA, also ranks in the top 10 for cities where residents take a lunch every weekday. Sometimes work can be hectic. It can feel like you have no good time to step away for a moment, but taking a short break can help to refocus your mind and refill your energy after a meal.
Overall, we found 86% of Americans say their employer encourages them to take a lunch break, but only 2 in 5 people say they receive a paid break. While some states require employers to provide their workers with a break, others do not. For some parts of the country, the time spent on a break determines whether or not the worker is paid for the break or not. For example, in Alabama if an employee takes a break lasting less than 20 minutes, it is considered part of the workday and must be paid. Perhaps, this plays a role in some workers taking shorter breaks from work.
Industries That Take the Longest Lunch Breaks
Any job, regardless of the industry, can leave workers longing for a few minutes away to decompress and eat lunch. When analyzing time spent on breaks by industry, we found government jobs lead the way with an average of 38.16 minutes spent on lunch.
This is followed by those who work in the finance and insurance field with an average lunch break time of 37.83 minutes. Overall, 63% of workers in this industry say they take a lunch break every weekday.
On the other side of the spectrum, Americans working in the food service and construction industries are the least likely to take lunch breaks 5 days a week. In fact, nearly 1 in 5 construction workers say they only take a break 2 days out of the week.
Workers in the engineering and nonprofit industries are the most likely to report that their employer encourages them to take breaks, and they are paid. Those working in the transportation and retail industries are most likely to say their employer encourages them to take a break, but it’s not paid.
How Americans Spend Their Lunch Breaks
After ranking locations by their length of lunch breaks, we turned our attention to the activities workers do on their breaks. It’s no surprise that eating food is the leading activity with 97% of respondents reporting it, but 83% of people say they use this time to scroll on social media. From videos on TikTok to their friends’ latest life updates on Instagram, this short break allows people a pause from their job and a chance to indulge in a bit of entertainment before returning for the remainder of their workday.
Up next with 3 in 4 workers saying it’s a lunchtime activity is responding to personal emails and text messages. This is followed by 55% of workers who use this free time to chat with coworkers. For some Americans, their lunch break is an opportunity to get active with 40% of people saying they go for a walk at this time and 1 in 6 squeezing in other forms of exercise.
Some jobs require early mornings, which can result in the need for a midday nap. We found that 1 in 5 people say they regularly take naps on their lunch breaks. Of those who do nap, nearly 1 in 5 admit they have fallen asleep and missed returning to work on time as a result.
As a final aspect of our study, we wanted to learn Americans’ feelings regarding their lunch breaks to see whether they would change anything about them if they could. While 1 in 6 people say they wouldn’t change anything, 31% wish they could make their break longer. With 1 in 3 people reporting they frequently feel rushed on their break, it’s no wonder that workers are seeking more time.
Similarly, we discovered that nearly 2 in 5 people say they usually stay available for work during their break. While some workers don’t mind this, nearly 1 in 4 wish they were able to disconnect from work completely during this time.
Take a Break with a Game of Sudoku
Whether you are a busy worker seeking a moment of solitude or a tired parent looking for a distraction, it’s important to remember that a short break can be necessary. A few minutes away can help to ease stress and even improve your mood as well. At Sudoku Bliss, we know just how crucial breaks are. That’s why we have provided free games to play online, any time, anywhere.
Keep your brain active during your next break with a game of Sudoku. Regardless of your skill level, we have varying levels of difficulty from easy to evil to fit your desired challenge. Maybe your office could benefit from everyone taking a short break. Give your coworkers an excuse to relax for a bit by trying out our printable Sudoku puzzles and passing them around your office. Try timing your team to see who can complete the puzzles the quickest. A bit of healthy competition can even strengthen bonds among colleagues, and who knows, you might find a partner for your next lunch break.
Methodology
In this study, we set out to learn where Americans take the longest lunch breaks. To do this, we surveyed people in 40 of the largest cities in the U.S. and asked questions about their lunchtime habits. To create our ranking, we asked respondents how long their lunch breaks are on average and then averaged this time across all residents by city, ranking from longest time to shortest time spent. We then followed these same steps to determine in which industries workers take the longest breaks.
Another aspect of our study is where people embrace a leisurely lunch break. To determine this, we awarded points to the number of weekdays respondents take a break, the average length of their break, and how frequently they slow down and take a longer break. We then averaged those scores and adjusted them on a scale of 0 to 100.